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John Day River at Service Creek

Highest listed crest 17.85 ftFlood stage 11.5 ft15 crests since 1945

The John Day River at Service Creek crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 15 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1945 to 2020. The highest, 17.85 ft on December 23, 1964, was major flooding, 6.35 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.85 ft
December 23, 1964; 40,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.5 ft
Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major
6
10th of 100 gauges in Oregon
Most recent flood crest
May 21, 2020
13.63 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Wheeler County
Oregon

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, John Day River at Service Creek
Action stage10.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.52Feb 10, 2017Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.57May 21, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.06Apr 10, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

15 crests from 1945 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the John Day River at Service Creek, 1945 to 2020 1012141618ft Flood stage 11.5 ftMajor 15.0 ft Dec 29, 1945: 14.10 ft, moderate flooding; 18,600 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1952: 15.50 ft, major flooding; 26,800 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1956: 15.10 ft, major flooding; 28,100 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1964: 17.85 ft, major flooding; 40,200 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1970: 14.59 ft, moderate flooding; 27,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1982: 14.65 ft, moderate flooding; 26,900 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1983: 12.89 ft, moderate flooding; 20,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1996: 14.02 ft, moderate flooding; 25,800 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1997: 16.49 ft, major flooding; 35,200 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2010: 12.48 ft, minor flooding; 20,641 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 2011: 13.72 ft, moderate floodingMay 17, 2011: 15.20 ft, major floodingFeb 10, 2017: 12.20 ft, minor flooding; 20,100 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2019: 16.19 ft, major flooding; 32,993 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2020: 13.63 ft, moderate flooding; 25,163 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.85 ft, Dec 23, 1964 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, John Day River at Service Creek 1940s: 1 1950s: 2 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 2 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 5 5 2020s: 1 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, John Day River at Service Creek
1Dec 23, 196417.85+6.35Major40,200
2Jan 1, 199716.49+4.99Major35,200
3Apr 10, 201916.19+4.69Major32,993
4Mar 26, 195215.50+4.00Major26,800
5May 17, 201115.20+3.70Major—
6May 8, 195615.10+3.60Major28,100
7Feb 21, 198214.65+3.15Moderate26,900
8Jan 24, 197014.59+3.09Moderate27,100
9Dec 29, 194514.10+2.60Moderate18,600
10Feb 9, 199614.02+2.52Moderate25,800
11Jan 17, 201113.72+2.22Moderate—
12May 21, 202013.63+2.13Moderate25,163
13Mar 14, 198312.89+1.39Moderate20,800
14Jun 5, 201012.48+0.98Minor20,641
15Feb 10, 201712.20+0.70Minor20,100

The worst floods along the John Day River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the John Day River that crested above flood stage within a week.

May 17, 2011: 15.20 ft here, major flooding

  • John DayOR · May 16, 2011 · 8.50 ft · Minor

Gauges on the John Day River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the John Day River
John DayOR8.010.80 ft, Jun 9, 19691
Service Creek this gaugeOR11.517.85 ft, Dec 23, 19646

Wheeler County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Oregon

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SERO3, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.